Bishkek Hash House Harriers
Hares' Handbook
(ALSO AVAILABLE IN RUSSIAN)
"Utterly stunning" (New York Times)
"I couldn't put it down [in French]" (Le Figaro)
"Noone else need apply for this year's Booker Prize"
(The Guardian)
July 2002
http://www.geocities.com/bishkekhash
Introduction
1. This Handbook is to help hares, especially first-timers, to
avoid extreme
punishment after the run. Follow the following principles,
customs and
advice and your fellow-Hashers will enjoy your run. So will you.
2. Read through the Handbook before you go out on reconnaissance
and
have it in your pocket all the time.
3. There is a reference section at the back, with a glossary, a
list of calls,
the principal Hash songs and the current Mismanagement
Committee.
Hares' Responsibilities
4. There are usually 2 or 3 hares. It is helpful if one has a
car. Together
they are responsible for:
Buying something to lay the trail with. We usually use flour
(2.5kg is
about right for an average run; the cheapest I have found is 12
soms
per kg) but on snow you need to be more imaginative. There has
been
successful use of sticks, stones and bottles laid in patterns;
coloured
cement; and torn-up red paper napkins.
Choosing the run-site. We usually go to the city outskirts or
beyond –
to the hills in the south, or to the forests and lakes of the
many
parks around Bishkek.
Notifying the Grand Master if the run-site is more than a
20-minute
drive away, because it may affect transport arrangements.
Making a reconnaissance of the run-site. This may be done
just
before the trail is laid, but many hares prefer to do it on
another day
when they have plenty of time - eg reconnaissance on Saturday
and
trail-laying on Sunday.
Laying the trail.
Arranging a half-way "øl-stop" (optional).
Making any other special arrangements – eg hiding Easter
eggs,
clearing land-mines, arranging for food after the run…
Guiding the pack from the meeting-point to the run-site.
Running with the pack, ready to stop people getting totally
lost but
not helping unnecessarily. One hare should stay at the back of
the
pack to "sweep" tail-enders onto the true trail.
Trail-Laying
5. The principles to follow are as follows:
The run should last about 1 hour. Minimum 50 minutes, maximum
75
minutes. According to the terrain and the weather, this usually
means a length of about 6km.
It should be interesting, with variety of terrain and view.
It should involve some challenge for the fittest runners but
not be
daunting for the least fit.
Everyone should finish more-or-less together. This may mean
laying a
separate trail for walkers, or offering them short-cuts. There
should be at least 6 checks and some false trails, to slow down
the
front-runners.
The run should start and finish at a good place to park the
vehicles
and to stand around drinking and singing afterwards.
6. There are subtle variations in trail-laying conventions from
one Hash to
another. These are ours:
The trail starts a short distance from where the cars are
parked: say
30-50m. The hares may point the pack in the right general
direction,
or let them fan out and search.
The trail is laid principally with handfuls of flour (or
snow-friendly
alternative) at infrequent intervals; but they can be closer
together
if there is no clear track to follow.
Over open ground big arrows may be used to keep the pack
going in
the right direction.
Checks (at least 6 throughout the run) are marked with a
circle.
On a long run the hares may mark a "holding check" – a circle
with a
cross in the middle. This means that the pack does not move off
again until everyone has arrived.
A 2- or 3-way check can be laid using arrows, to restrict the
directions the pack has to check out.
After a check the trail should resume within 50-100m – less
on
difficult terrain or where there are no obvious tracks.
False trails should be as easy to find as the true trail.
They must
have no more than 3 handfuls of flour and there must be a cross
at
the end – large but not visible from too far away. I try to put
the X
just round a corner or on the far side of a rise.
Close to the end of the run you may lay an "on-home". This is
a bold
arrow pointing to the car-park, with the words "On Home". Make
sure
you have enough flour left! An advantage is that you will avoid
in/out
trail confusion (see paragraph 13 below).
Things to Pay Attention to…
7. Allow yourself enough time to lay the trail. It generally
takes me twice
as long to lay a trail as to run it, after a reconnaissance.
8. Checks are very important. There must be enough of them and
they
must be carefully placed, so that the direction of the true
trail is not too
obvious. It is usual for one hare to start laying the true trail
while the
other hare(s) lay one or more equally plausible false trails.
9. You do not need false trails at every check, but a run
without a false
trail at all is like a woman without a smile. Make them numerous
enough,
long enough and arduous enough to allow the back-runners to
catch up
with the front-runners.
10. We call them "øl-stops" but water and soft drinks are
provided too. It is
your decision whether to have an øl-stop. If you do…
Do not put the øl in a too-obvious hiding-place and lose it
before the
pack gets to it. (This happened once!)
It is better to locate the stop near a motorable track and
instruct a
driver to bring the øl to it once the pack is out-of-sight.
Warn the Hash Dray in advance, so he/she can bring extra øl
and
drinking vessels.
11. Always remember that the run is meant to be fun, and
following the trail
is a kind of game. Don't lay a trail that is too easy to follow;
or one that
is just hard work. Do make full use of the terrain to give your
run
variety, interest and unpredictability. You don't want the pack
to vote it
the "Boring-As-Hell Run".
12. At the meeting-point (currently the Opera and Ballet
Theatre) the hares
should give the driver of each vehicle enough information to
allow him to
get to the run-site even if he loses the convoy. One hare should
travel in
the lead vehicle; and ideally another hare should travel in the
last
vehicle. If the run-site is hard to find, a sketch map for each
driver is a
good idea.
Things to Avoid…
13. Because it finishes where it started a trail is inevitably a
loop. But it
should not be too obvious. Use the terrain and changes of
direction to
disorientate the pack.
14. (It is not compulsory to finish at the start. You may
arrange for the
cars to move somewhere else once the pack is out of sight, if
you wish.)
15. In/out trail confusion is an ever-present danger. Do not
allow the pack
to find the end of the trail before it finds the start!
16. Similarly, do not lay the trail so that parts of it get too
close together
and the pack may jump from one part to another.
17. Do not take the pack across growing crops or through private
property
unless you have the explicit permission of the owner. By
international
convention the Hash has the right to go wherever it likes, but
we don't
want to push our luck.
18. Do not finish the run at too public a place for the circle.
If the cars are
parked on a public road, identify a more secluded place within
walking
distance. (walking = walking-carrying-a-cooler-full-of-øl).
19. Never leave the Hare-Raiser with a problem if you find that
you are
unable to fulfill your duties. Find a replacement – or at least
give the
Hare-Raiser enough notice to find one.
Live Hares
20. Occasionally we have a "live hare" run. This is where the
hare(s) do not
lay a trail in advance, but set off during the warm-up and lay
the trail
just ahead of the pack. They are given a head-start (typically
10-15
minutes). The trail-laying conventions are the same as for a
normal run,
but live hares do not have time to lay a lot of false trails.
21. There is a quaint Hash custom. If the pack catches up with a
live hare,
his/her shorts are confiscated.
Hares Run Free!
22. Everyone pays to Hash – except the hares. They only pay for
the flour.
23. On the other hand they know they will be abused and
down-downed after
the run, even if it was the best since 1938. It's a Hash
tradition.
Reference Section
Glossary
Back-runner Someone at the back or tail of the pack.
Check A discontinuity in the trail, marked with a circle on the
ground.
The true trail resumes some distance away; and there may be
false trails too.
Circle The orderly circle of Hashers which forms after a run at
the
Grand Master's command to witness down-downs and engage in
other Hash customs
False trail A short trail following a check, laid by the hares
to confuse
the pack. It ends with a 'X' after 3 handfuls of flour or less.
Front-runner Someone at the front or head of the pack.
Hare One who lays (or sets) the trail.
Hasher One who Hashes – as either a runner or a walker.
Hash Trash The Hash newletter; also the editor thereof.
Holding check A check where all Hashers remain until everyone
arrives.
Live hare A hare who is still laying the trail when the pack
starts
running; a live hare who is 'caught' by the pack loses his/her
shorts.
Øl The Bishkek Hash name for beer, in honour of Joern 'Prince
Hamlet' Nielsen – a Dane and our first Hash Dray.
Øl-stop A refreshment point near the middle of a run.
On-on The cry when a runner believes he/she is on the true
trail; also
the communal eating and drinking that some Hashers go on to
after a run.
Meeting-point Where the pack meets before a run: currently in
front of the
Opera and Ballet Theatre in Ul Sovietskaya.
On-home The end of the marked trail: an arrow pointing to the
cars and
the words "On Home".
Pack Everyone running or walking except the hares.
Run-site The location of the run.
Short-cut A deviation from the true trail which reduces the
distance run.
Short-cutting is a punishable offence unless you have been
directed to a short-cut by a hare in the interests of keeping
the pack together.
Sweep One hare who stays with the back-runners or walkers to
make
sure that everyone finishes the run eventually.
Trail The tortuous path marked by the hares. The true trail is
the
way to go; false trails are to be avoided.
True trail This is too obvious to explain!
Warm-up Muscle-stretching exercises at the start of the run – a
local
custom initiated by our first Hash Gash (medical advisor),
Merete 'Less Caffeine' Nielsen.
2- or 3-way check Bifurcated or trifurcated arrows to indicate
that the true
trail lies in one of only 2 or 3 directions.
Calls
Are you…? Are you on the true trail? (If the call were "Are you
on?" it might
be mis-heard as "On-on!" – with awful results.)
Checking! I have come from a check and I am checking for the
true trail.
False trail! This is not the true trail, so don't follow me.
Looking! Due to the malice and/or incompetence of the hares I
may have
deviated from the true trail, and I am looking for the next
handful
of flour. (This is not the same as "Checking!" which is called
only
after a check has been encountered.)
On-on! I am confident that I am on the true trail. Follow me!
On-on called! Someone ahead of me has called "On-on!". Don't
blame me if he/she
is wrong.
On back! The same meaning as "False trail".
On 1, 2, 3 ! I have come from a check and I have found the 1st,
2nd or 3rd
handful of flour on what may be the true trail.
Two Hash Songs (there are many more)
Down-Down Song Hash Hymn
Here's to [name], he's* true blue,
He's a Hasher through-and-through,
He's a piss-pot** so they say,
Tried to get to heaven but he* went
the other way.
Drink it down down down down…!
* or she or they.
** figuratively, a heavy drinker.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home;
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home!
I looked over Jordan and what did I see,
Coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels, coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home!
Current Mismanagement Committee
Grand Master Supreme ruler of the Hash John 'Hardon'
Standingford
Religious Advisor Guardian of custom and ritual John 'Madonna'
McLellan
Hash Cash Treasurer Will 'Bypass' Hart
Hash Trash Editor of the newsletter (and
currently the website too)
Kathleen 'Kathy Come Home'
Hinman
Hash Fash Enforcer of the dress code Elisabeth 'Lady Vey'
Lundgren
Hash Flash Official photographer Andres 'Spiderman' Riggioni*
Hash Dray Supplier of drinks Tracy 'Old Rooster' Atwood
Hash Song Leader of the singing Tracy 'Old Rooster' Atwood
Hare-Raiser Recruiter of hares for future runs Svetlana Titova
* But Kathy Come Home is de facto Hash Flash at present, in
combination with her Hash
Trash duties.
"On-on!" Hardon, July 2002